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 Nuclear Iran 5Chapter 1
Introduction to the topic
Iran’s nuclear program that has triggered such a fierce response from the West –  particularly from the United States - was launched not recently, but in 1953. Interestinglyenough, at that time the wisdom of pursing an alternative source of energy was undoubted andIran not only received the support of America but also their earnest encouragement. Over timehowever, many events took place that led to the serious deterioration of relations between whatcame to be known as the Islamic Republic of Iran and today’s superpower. Now, IranianPresident is viewed as the biggest threat since Hitler 
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and Iran’s plans of uranium enrichment tomeet their energy needs a suspected conspiracy to promote terrorism.Uranium enrichment can be used for both peaceful (nuclear fuel) and military (nuclear weapons) uses. Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (since July 1968) andthis permits them to develop nuclear energy for civilian purposes
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. Any involvement in pursuingnuclear weapons has not only been denied but also condemned by Iranian officials.“…
We consider the acquiring, development and use of nuclear weapons inhuman,immoral, illegal and against our basic principles. They have no place in Iran’sdefense doctrine.”
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Despite such declarations, the United States has managed to influence the opinion of theinternational community, using the argument that up until the IAEA investigation Iran had notrevealed the uranium enrichment facility constructed at Natanz and a heavy water production plant near Arak. The NPT requires that countries must declare the existence of such facilities and
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German Chancellor, Angela Merkel has compared the Iranian President and warned the world not to appease the Nazis.www.reuters.com 
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Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty todevelop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination. (Article IV, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,http://disarmament.un.org/wmd/npt/npttext.html)
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Statement given by Mr. G. Ali Khoshroo, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, inMay 2003 at the NPT PrepCom in Geneva.www.acronym.org.uk/wmd/iranpres.htm 
 
 Nuclear Iran 6keeping the nuclear program secret from the outside world has made Iran’s motives susceptible.The debate now is centered on who should enrich uranium for Iran’s nuclear facilities. TheIranians have been insisting on their right to continue whereas the West, (primarily America andthe E.U) being distrustful of Iran’s intentions, is pressurizing that the enrichment process should be done in another country i.e. Russia. This dispute is unlikely to be easily resolved and Iran’sinsistence on its position on the program could serve as a pretext for the USA to take militaryaction. There have already been two rounds of sanctions imposed on Iran and but for Russian andChinese opposition that Iran has a legal right to harness nuclear energy; a third round of sanctions which are currently under discussion would already have been imposed.
Statement of Problem
Iran has a nuclear program that dates back to the time of the Shah and is currently beingdeveloped to help cope with Iran’s energy needs. Nuclear power plants will save Iran more oilfor export, increasing its oil revenue and will also have a stabilizing effect on the global oilmarket by increasing supply. Despite apparent benefits, the program is controversial with theWest as it is suspected that Iran might be pursuing a nuclear weapon under the guise of uraniumenrichment to meet its energy requirements. This paper explores the perceived threat that nuclear Iran poses to the US and why it is expected of Iran to use a nuclear weapon even if it acquires itless responsibly than other nuclear states.
 Research Questions
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Is Iran’s claim to produce nuclear energy justified given its substantial natural energyreserves?
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How do events since after the Iranian revolution justify the two countries current standingon Iran’s nuclear issue?
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Is the US response to Iran’s nuclear program a wise one?
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Is Iran really a potential threat?
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How is it in American interests to portray Iran in a bad light?
 
 Nuclear Iran 7
 Hypothesis
The null hypothesis is that the US has full right to feel threatened by the Iranian nuclear  program and its current position is a reflection of its true state. The alternative hypothesis for thisresearch will be that there are hidden dynamics to the situation at hand. We expect to find thatUS concerns about Iran’s nuclear program is part of political rhetoric, designed for consumption by the masses. It should be noted that exploring the ‘hidden dynamics’ of the clash between thetwo countries is little more than intelligent guesswork on part of the researchers and theinformation collected is of such a nature that nothing can be proved or disproved conclusively.Thus the ultimate thesis is hugely theoretical in orientation.
 Rationale for Study
The Middle Eastern region is of undoubted significance in world politics and Iran isemerging as a major player in this region. The US is responding to this critical situation byconsidering either military action or hard-nosed diplomacy against Iran, with focus laid uponhalting its nuclear program. Whatever course of action the US takes, it is clear that the dynamicsof power in the Middle East are influenced by this tension between the two respective states. Tothe researchers, the fact that these developments were leading to a major event was of primaryinterest.
 Rationale for Time Frame
This paper has covered stages of Iran’s nuclear program since its inception in the early1950s. More emphasis however, has been laid on the severity of the American response after theIranian President’s declaration in 2005 regarding nuclear enrichment, as it is this event that gaveurgency to the situation that we see today.
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